Clinton: How better weapons could bring about peace in the Middle East

Speaking of Bill Clinton, here he is with a novel argument on the prospects for peace in the Middle East:

I still think there is some chance the Israelis and the Hamas government and the Palestinian government could make a deal. Because I think that the long-term trend lines are bad for both sides that have the capacity to make a deal. Right now, Hamas is kind of discredited after the Gaza operation, and yet [the Palestinian Authority] is clearly increasing [its] capacity. They are in good shape right now, but if they are not able to deliver sustained economic and political advances, that's not good for them. The long-term trends for the Israelis are even more stark, because they will soon enough not be a majority. Then they will have to decide at that point whether they will continue to be a democracy and no longer be a Jewish state, or continue to be a Jewish state and no longer be a democracy. That's the great spur.

The other thing that has not been sufficiently appreciated is the inevitable arc of technological capacity that applies to military weaponry, like it does to PCs and video games and everything else. I know that these rockets drove the Israelis nuts, and I didn't blame them for being angry and frustrated -- it was maddening. But let's be candid: They were not very accurate. So it's only a question of time until they are de facto outfitted with GPS positioning systems. And when that happens and the casualty rates start to really mount, will that make it more difficult for the Palestinians to make peace instead of less? Because they will be even more pressed by the radical groups saying, "No, no, look, look, we are making eight out of 10 hits. Let's stay at this." I think one of the surprising things that might happen this year [2010] is you might get a substantial agreement. Nobody believes this will happen, and it probably won't, because of the political complexity of the Israeli government. But all I can tell you is, I spent a lot of time when I was president trying to make a distinction between the headlines and the trend lines. If there was ever a place where studying the trend lines would lead you to conclude that sooner is better than later for deal-making, it would be there.

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Israel’s missile defence system also once again intercepted rockets fired by militants at the country’s two largest cities, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

Hamas leader Khaled Meshal was in Doha, Wednesday, telling reporters from his five-star hotel the hardline Islamists would not back down from their bloody fight with Israel until Gaza’s borders are opened, and the crippling Israeli and Egyptian blockade of the embattled territory’s coast lifted.
Palestinians, the terrorist in exile affirmed, are “the true owners of the land.” But is Hamas the true voice of the Palestinian people and do Gazans have the same zeal for the struggle as the organization that claims to be carrying it out on their behalf?

JERUSALEM — Israel’s prime minister said Monday that his new government was extending its hand in peace to the Palestinians, declaring that he is ready to make a “historic compromise” if they return to the negotiating table with good will.
Laying out the agenda for his new term, Benjamin Netanyahu said he hopes to rejuvenate peace efforts, which remained frozen throughout Netanyahu’s just-completed four-year term.

GAZA, Gaza Strip — The UN chief and the U.S. secretary of state headed to Cairo on Monday for the highest-level attempt yet to end two weeks of Israel-Hamas fighting that has killed at least 510 Palestinians and 20 Israelis and driven tens of thousands of Gaza residents from their homes.
Despite the new cease-fire efforts by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Israeli aircraft continued to strike homes in Gaza while Hamas fired more rockets and tried to infiltrate into Israel.

JERUSALEM — Israel’s prime minister says he will not cave in to international pressure to stop a military offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Benjamin Netanyahu told a news conference Friday that Israel will continue its offensive until rocket fire out of Gaza is halted.
He says he has had “good conversations” with a number of world leaders in recent days, including President Barack Obama and European leaders.
“No international pressure will prevent us from acting with all power,” he said.
Obama has said the U.S. has offered to broker a ceasefire.

JERUSALEM — The Israeli army on Wednesday intensified its offensive on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, striking Hamas sites and killing at least 14 people on the second day of a military operation it says is aimed at quelling rocket fire against Israel.

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday defended his security co-operation with Israel against widespread criticism, telling senior Arab and Muslim officials his forces are helping in the search for three Israeli teens missing in the West Bank because “these youths are human beings.”
His comments were remarkable because of his audience and because security co-ordination is widely unpopular among Palestinians, particularly at the time of a new Israeli crackdown in the West Bank after the teens’ disappearance last week.

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday to seize the fading chance for peace with the Palestinians and warned the U.S. may not be able to shield Israel from the “international fallout” if no deal was reached.
Breaking a months-long silence on the U.S.-brokered peace talks, Mr. Obama made clear he believed it was up to Israel to make the next move and break through the stalemate.